The Labster Podcast

"In part one of this special two-part episode, SJ chats with chemistry professor Cord Carter and his former student and research assistant, Brianna Brown. Cord and Brianna share their experiences teaching and learning at Fisk University, a well-known HBCU in Nashville, TN. They discuss their passion for STEM education, the importance of Fisk’s history, and how much representation matters.

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"The importance of providing guidance, mentoring, and opportunities to network drive the conversation in this second part of our special two-part episode with chemistry professor Cord Carter and his former student and research assistant, Brianna Brown. Brianna explains how her alma mater, Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, has successfully helped her to stay motivated to reach her bold goals. Cord tells a personal story about how important it was that one of his own professors expressed a personal interest in him, and how he now works to help his students to take inspiration from a diverse group of STEM professionals he invites into his classroom.

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If you’re here to ask Dr. Karen Vignare to recommend “the right learning tool”, take a number. In this episode, she highlights the findings of her research into using adaptive courseware as part of a student-first approach to instruction. So what can educators do to support more students to succeed in gateway courses? Spoiler alert: it takes more than just buying the right tool.

Not every chemistry educator starts college knowing they'll have a career in STEM - some stumble upon their calling. That was the case for Dr. Melody Esfandiari, who shares her story and her personal commitment to supporting other women in science at the beginning of this episode. Always curious, Melody wanted to find out whether her Introductory Chemistry students felt prepared to conduct experiments in a real wet lab after learning with Labster virtual labs. So, she conducted her own research, comparing grades as well as students' self-reported data about their learning experience. You'll hear Melody's findings and find out what surprised her most.

Who did faculty members turn to for support when Zoom suddenly became the de facto medium for teaching? At the 23 universities within the Cal State system, it was the members of the Academic Technology Services department. They worked overtime to train faculty members in how to bring their labs, lectures, and assessments online. So how did these academic technologists do it? And what will happen to their digital learning initiatives when in-person classes safely resume? In this episode, you’ll hear from two guests who have the answers: Dr. Leslie Kennedy, senior director of Academic Technology Services at The California State University in the Office of the Chancellor, and Shaidy Ruiz, Communications Analyst in the Department of Academic Technology Services.

How do students learn from a simulation? Is it when they are engaged in the experience? When they prepare for it? The answer is neither, according to Dr. Amber Kool. Her dissertation research revealed that students learn most when they debrief and reflect on their simulation learning experience. In this episode, Kool shares her thoughts on best practices for teaching virtual lab simulations. Kool is Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona College of Nursing, where her students will use Labster as part of their post-Covid return to face-to-face and hybrid learning.

Wondering how virtual labs can help your students (and you!) make the most of your time in the real lab? Curious about whether virtual labs can help your students visualize abstract concepts and have their own lightbulb moments? Labster’s own Carlin Robinson addresses lots of your FAQs about teaching high school science with virtual labs.

How can a university fulfill its commitment to make STEM for All a reality? In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Sophia Rahming, she describes an innovative strategy used by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Florida State University to empower undergraduate Learning Assistants to partner with graduate Teaching Assistants and course faculty so that first and second year students have what they need to succeed in gateway STEM courses.

Does geography determine who gets to learn science? Who does science belong to? In this episode, we discuss Dr. Sophia Rahming’s provocative research around the structural biases and barriers to studying science and the need for culturally responsive science education. Dr. Rahming is an Associate Director in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Florida State University and is researching the experiences of Afro-Caribbean women in STEM in the United States.

With classes still remote due to Covid, Biology professors Selinda Martinez and Julie Kelley have an honest discussion about the experience of teaching diverse students in asynchronous online courses. We’ll explore their ideas for creating a shared sense of community among their online students at Laredo College in Texas.